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When you are on the go as a graduate student, it can be hard to keep all of your devices juiced up and ready to use. Going without WiFi can leave a huge dent in your next phone bill, and if you forget your charger, it’s game over, right? Well, fear not! We have searched the Chicagoland area for you and come up with a list of free WiFi hot spots and charging stations for you to use.

Free WiFi

DePaul has free WiFi available to all of its students on its campuses. To join, select the DePaul secure network on your device under WiFi and enter your Campus Connect username and password to log in.

The Metra stations are all equipped with free WiFi under the name “Metra Wi-Fi.” The hot spots are available in the following areas according to the Tribune:

“At Union Station, the hot spot and charging station are near the Metra ticketing area between the north and south concourses.”

“At Millennium, the Wi-Fi hot spot covers the passenger waiting area in the center of the station, where the charging stations were installed.”

“At Van Buren, the hot spot reaches the north and south portions of the waiting area and both charging stations.”

“At Ogilvie, Wi-Fi is available in the platform-level waiting area as well as around the charging stations on the ground floor in the passenger concourse.”

OpenWiFiSpots is a site you can use to find free WiFi hot spots around the city. All you need to do is type in your location, and the site will show you locations around you where you can get free WiFi.

Both Apple and Android have apps that you may download and use to find free WiFi:

WifiMapper from Android allows you to pull up a map based on your location with input from other users as to which spots are yay or nay.

WiFi Map from Apple displays a map of WiFi spots around your area, but it also shows comments from users in regard to whether or not the WiFi and location were satisfactory. This app also lists passwords for free WiFi that users may or may not know about when trying to connect.

Charging Stations

DePaul has gone green! Check out the solar panel charging stations in the LPC Quad and the Loop campus. You only need to supply the cord to charge your device in either an electrical outlet or USB port. Neat, right?

Both the Loop and Richardson libraries have portable battery packs for you to check out that come with the necessary cords for either an Apple or Android device. You can request these at the circulation desk.

You can also check out an Apple or Android USB cable from the libraries to charge your phone.

Chicago Union Station, Millennium Station, Ogilvie Transportation Center have charging stations for all of you commuters.

Whether you are moving to Chicago from elsewhere or simply in search of a new apartment, we have compiled a list of resources for you that students have successfully used in the past.

Chicago Getaway Hostel:

If you are in need of immediate housing, even if only temporary, this hostel is very close to the Lincoln Park campus. Located east of campus down Fullerton and two blocks north of Fullerton, Chicago Getaway Hostel is affordable and close to food and shopping. You can choose to have your own room or share with others to lessen the cost. There is free Wi-Fi, free breakfast, and is listed at $72 a night. The 74 Fullerton CTA bus will take you to campus. The stop is located just a few steps west of the McDonald’s at Fullerton and Lincoln.

This page is a student run Facebook page (you need a Facebook account to post) where students list apartments available for rent or make posts seeking roommates/subletters for their apartments. You can either make a post yourself asking if there is anyone who knows of a place to stay, or you can browse the posts students have already made. Those who are interested are asked to comment/message the poster on Facebook. It is wise to message the poster and ask to meet face to face to discuss the listing prior to accepting anything.

Similar to the Facebook page, this site is also for DePaul students seeking off campus housing. You can search for roommates or listings based on the criteria that you would like for an apartment. You can also create a roommate profile so prospective roommates know a little bit about you. You can see the prices and contact information of the lessor, as well as the move in date.

zillow.com:

This site allows you to search for apartments (with the criteria of your liking) in an area of your choosing and view the prices, amenities, and utilities offered. The listing will allow you to contact the landlord or lessor for a showing.

domu.com:

Similar to Zillow, this site allows you to search for apartments (with the criteria of your liking) in an are area of your choosing and view the prices, amenities, and utilities offered. The listing will allow you to contact the landlord or lessor for a showing.

The Apartment People:

This service allows you to search a database of apartment listings in order to find an apartment that meets the criteria of your choice. You may schedule an appointment for free with an agent that will ask your desired criteria and then search the listings for you in order to meet said criteria. These agents are not landlords, and act as a liaison between you and the lessor.

This service allows you to search a database of apartment listings in order to find an apartment that meets the criteria of your choice. You may schedule an appointment for free with an agent that will ask your desired criteria and then search the listings for you in order to meet said criteria. Through this service, an agent will drive you to the listings you would like to see for free. These agents are not landlords, and act as a liaison between you and the lessor. This site has a tab for student housing, as well.

It is important to consult this site when looking for an apartment to make sure you are staying in a safe area. You can use this map to search your area and see what, if any, crime has happened around the apartment you are interested in. If there is a high crime rate, do not accept the apartment, even if it is a great price. Make sure to also check the bus and/or train stations that are close to your apartment to see what crime has happened there, too.

General tips:

It is always a good idea to meet face to face with the poster/landlord/lessor/agent to see the place and discuss before agreeing to anything.

Ask the prices of utilities to make sure you know how much you will be paying in addition to rent.

If you are going to live with roommates, make sure to ask questions about lifestyles and preferences to see if you are compatible roommates.

Ask about how much is required for the security deposit and other fees.

Do not sign a lease until you see the apartment and make sure there are no damages. Take pictures of the apartment before you move in to show there were no damages at the time of moving in.

Apartments that are out of the way of transportation should be your last choice, if possible.

MALS/IDS is lucky to have graduate students from all walks of life who enjoy a myriad of events. Whether you are a seasoned Chicago native or a brand new face to the city, we have compiled a list of fun events around campus and/or the Chicago area that (hopefully!) has something for everyone to enjoy.

DePaul Welcome Week is hosting a few events the first week of the upcoming quarter. From Sept. 3-15, these DWW events are meant to get you situated around campus, learn about DePaul student life, and have fun! All you need is your student ID to attend.

Taste of DePaul (Sept. 3 from 4pm to 8pm on the LPC Quad) – Try foods from the Lincoln Park area!

After Taste: The Lip Sync Battle (Sept. 3 from 7pm to 11pm in the LPC Student Center Room 120AB) – After you’ve eaten, attend for musical battles, prizes, and more (free) food.

Trolleys to Target (Sept. 4 from 12pm to 5pm at the LPC Student Center) – Take a trolley service to Target for anything you might have forgotten to bring with you.

DePaul Does Labor Day (Sept. 5 from 11am to 3pm – meet in the LPC Student Center) – Explore Millenium Park, the zoo, the beach, and the “Bean!”

Fall 2016 LPC Involvement Fair (Sept. 9 from 1pm to 4pm on the LPC Quad) – Learn about on campus organizations in the LPC.

The Second City (Sept. 10 from 7pm to 10pm at the Merle Reskin Theatre) – Come see the famous improv comedy show where SNL stars such as John Belushi, Rachel Dratch, Chris Farley, and Tina Fey started out. It’s free!

Community Fest (Sept. 8 – 3:30pm to 6pm in the LPC Student Center Room 120AB): Community Fest is a welcome back celebration focused on the engagement and inclusion of multicultural and identity-based student organizations, the Center for Identity, Inclusion & Social Change and it is an intentional way for cultural student organizations to build stronger collaborative and relationships amongst their organizations and the DePaul Community.

Here is a wonderful list of events happening in the Chicago Area this month, as well as in September.

The DePaul Art Museum is excited to host SPECTRALINA (Aug. 18 from 6pm to 8pm), an audio-visual performance project by musician Dan Bitney of the band Tortoise and visual artist Selina Trepp. The performance combines image and sound to create a “visual music” in which each medium bears equal force. Free and open to everyone! (RSVP required.)

Save the date for the graduate open house! This quarterly event is meant to inform and assist those who are interested in graduate school at DePaul. Here is all the information you need to attend the 2016-17 fall quarter graduate open house:

Like a good deal? Who doesn’t like a good deal. Demon Discounts is a nice perk many businesses and attractions provide DePaul Students. Check their home page: http://discounts.depaul.edu for the latest deals. Another tip is a lot of businesses around campus will provide a discount if you ask and show your ID even if they aren’t on the official Demon Discounts roster!

MALS/IDS is happy to announce the release of our latest issue of Convergence. MALS/IDS students and alumni should anticipate the arrival of Convergence in their mailboxes within the next few weeks. Until then please browse the issue (here) on our blog. This edition has a wide range of topics and personalities featured. The benefits of attending conferences is explored. Sarah Brown, the senior Technology Consultant and Project Lead for e-portfolios at DePaul, shares her insights on Digication. Graduating students Hakki Gurkan and Megan Metzger give first-person narratives reflecting on their time at DePaul. Finally we welcome two new students, Rachel Conrad and Sana Bell, who were interviewed about starting their DePaul journeys.

Each quarter DePaul hosts a graduate school open house to assist people in their search for continuing their educational journeys. The 2015-2016 academic year spring quarter open house coming up next month:

Welcome to Dense, Joyous, Modern

David Gitomer

I’m the director of DePaul University’s Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program and its sister program, Master of Arts/Master of Science of Interdisciplinary Studies Program. From our offices on Racine Avenue, near the western boundary of DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus, we see the rest of the city more easily than we see the rest of the campus. And our adult students are often more involved in their lives away from the university than they are in what gets called “campus life.” But we’re all thinking about graduate learning in an exhilarating interdisciplinary way. Check out our websites at IDS and MALS for official university program information. Stop by this blog often for reflections on what’s happening in the program, cool things that people should know about, or big questions that we’ve got to figure out.

I knew I would find the name of the blog in Whitman. Uncle Walt’s openness to all kinds of knowledge from all sorts of people everywhere in the globe, and his yearning and willingness to plunge into the heart of experience make him our hero. Illinois is of course the Prairie State.

Walt Whitman, “The Prairie States” from Leaves of Grass

A newer garden of creation, no primal solitude,
Dense, joyous, modern, populous millions, cities and farms,
With iron interlaced, composite, tied, many in one,
By all the world contributed—freedom’s and law’s and thrift’s society,
The crown and teeming paradise, so far, of time’s accumulations,
To justify the past.